Add your thoughts on the best (and worst) of music for 2011 here. You don't have to list out thirty-five albums or anything, just give us what you liked this year in short. The point is to discuss it, not to have the best or most awesome list, so don't be afraid. Anyone who might harshly judge your tastes doesn't have much place at CoN, even if they include something by Justin Bieber. (We might look the other way if you like the Biebs and someone beats you up, though.)

Here's my list:

The Go! Team - Rolling BlackoutsI'm probably the biggest Go! fanboy on the forums, and have been since I first heard them in 2004, with the release of Thunder, Lightning, Strike. They maintain their unique sound in their newest, with a mix of hip-hop, indie rock, and even a small dash of 60's girl-group pop from track to track, interspersed with a few instrumentals as well - as a six piece ensemble, some playing more than one instrument at a time, even the instrumentals bring it. The Go! Team can be counted on to bring energy to your mixtape, and make someone smile, even possibly on the lyrically darker songs. How much do I love this band? Well, just like last album, I bought it twice - once on day one, and once again later to get an import copy from Asia with all the B-sides.Individual Musical Selections for Approval of You: "Rolling Blackouts", "Buy Nothing Day", "Apollo Throwdown", "Ready to Go Steady"

The Joy Formidable - The Big RoarThis is the kind of album I would have seen coming a mile away a few years ago. I don't like that I first heard it in October. I've described it elsewhere as Silversun Pickups if you tossed in a shot of My Bloody Valentine. I think that still works, though I can't put my finger on why, exactly. I think it shares a sense of urgency and at times a shoegazy wall of sound feel that hearkens back twenty years. Also, this: http://teamcoco.com/content/music-guest-jo...stage-literallyIndividual Musical Selections for Approval of You: "Whirring", "Austere"

Counting Crows - August and Everything After: Live at Town HallCheating! Cheating! This album is from 1993! But this performance of the album, from front to back, was recorded in 2007 and just released a few months ago for the first time. The recording was made well after the band had hit its apex (which, actually, most would say was at the release of the studio version of August), but what makes this version great is that it is the fantastic content of the original presented through the instruments of a band over fifteen years older. It feels new, and, as an album, is still better than anything Counting Crows has done in probably a decade.Individual Musical Selections for Approval of You: "Omaha", "A Murder of One"

Lights - SiberiaAdorable electropop. Lights has an incredibly sweet and cute voice, and her songs are indie bubblegum. There's no need to really expect anything groundbreaking here, and you're not going to get anything that's truly groundbreaking, either. In fact, if you've heard Lights' earlier work, you might not even be that excited by this release. However, it's good as what she's done in the past, and it's newer. It's worth it.Individual Musical Selections for Approval of You: "Siberia", "Where the Fence is Low", "Heavy Rope"

Florence + The Machine - CeremonialsF+tM's first LP is an album that I have not been able to stop listening to since I first got it. I would imagine it on my "best of" list for this entire decade in about eight years. It's that good. How do you follow something like that up? You don't. You can't. Would that it were possible. But no matter - the only thing that stops this album from being flat-out amazing is the fact that it had to be a followup to Lungs. It's what you expect from the band now - lush, dark, somehow filling, and you can't compare it to anything but what came directly before it.Individual Musical Selections for Approval of You: "Shake it Out", "No Light, No Light"

Death Cab for Cutie - Codes and KeysAnother band from whom you know what you're getting. Sharp drums and drum machines, some shimmering synth and piano (the latter on the title track sounds even Aimee Mann-ish), and the whole thing mixed a bit under Ben Gibbard's distinctive voice. The cool thing about Death Cab is that is's always good. As always, there are a few tracks that weaken the whole set, but the high points are, also as always, pretty great. Individual Musical Selections for Approval of You: "Codes and Keys", "Doors Unlocked and Open"

Lykke Li - Wounded RhymesThis is a tough-sounding album. Heavy drums, lush instrumentation and vocals, and some pretty aggressive lyrics. All from a girl who looks like this: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/comm...u_Casino_02.jpg Even the slower, quieter songs on the album seem to have a power behind them, underneath even the most serene tracks.Individual Musical Selections for Approval of You: "I Follow Rivers", "Get Some"

And a few that I think probably would make this list if I just had more time to listen to them more:

Childish Gambino - CampNoel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying BirdsBlack Keys - El CaminoRadiohead - The King of Limbs (the only thing that really saved this from the list below was that I never gave it enough of a chance - it's a bit too much of a disappointing followup to In Rainbows, but I feel like it will grow on me.

Finally, my disappointments for the year:

Bjork - Biophilia: Bjork's a mixed bag. Everyone knows this, even her fans, I think. I loved her last album, or at least the last one I heard, Volta. She has changed gears again, though, and this one just sounded a bit like a mess. Even for Bjork, as the naysayers would say.

Beady Eye - Different Gear, Still Speeding: I didn't give this enough of a chance, I know. I'm not sure I'm really that interested in doing so, though. It just didn't give me anything to hook on to, and once Brother Noel dropped his album (for those who didn't know, Beady Eye is fronted by the other Gallagher brother from Oasis, Liam), I just didn't really see a need to go there.

Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto: Brian Eno is still a gifted producer. And the production is the best part about this album. Never the strongest lyrical band in the world, Coldplay seems to have kind of tumbled off the edge with their most recent.

Feist - Metals: It sucks to follow up The Reminder. Not your fault, Leslie Feist. And there's good stuff to be found in this album, but unlike Florence + the Machine, this just didn't get to the level of your last release - it's a bit dour, even for you.

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"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Alesana - A Place Where The Sun Is SilentAlesana is one of my favorite bands, and they did a good job keeping their usual sound while mixing in some more unusual stuff. Granted, it wasn't as good as their last album, The Emptiness, but hey.

Paramore - Monster, Renegade, In The Mourning, and Hello Cold WorldI honestly liked these better than any of the songs on Brand New Eyes, their last album (with the possible expectation of Brick by Boring Brick). They reflect a hard, crucial time for the band and also give me hope for a great new album in 2012.

Mayday Parade (self titled)This band honestly surprised me with this one. They were great back in '07, then really dropped off their path for the next few releases. So when my friend brought me this album I was skeptical, but it turned out to be one of the best things I heard this year. Blew me away.

Sleeping WithSirens - Let's Cheers To ThisTrailing my best of list is this album. While it wasn't a totally amazing release, it had enough good songs to deserve my best of list. It also showed how much the band, especially the front man, in my opinion, matured and grew.

I should preface this post with a warning to anyone who doesn't like folksy music: if you don't like folksy music, you probably won't like these albums. However, if you don't mind a bit of folk, or if you're one of us who enjoys folk music, dive right in.

Southeast Engine - CanaryMostly unadorned accompaniment (but still manages to be rich through variety) and straining vocals set the tone throughout the album. You can feel the bluegrass, btw, in a good way.

The Civil Wars - Barton HollowI'll let the SXSW folks' description suffice: "Each song is an intimate conversation, and no third wheels or dinner-party chatter are going to interrupt that gorgeous, haunting hush."

Well, after realising that most of the albums I was going to mention here were actually released during the back end of 2010, my list has dwindled. But I'd have to say that a couple of my favourites from this year include:

Snow Patrol - Fallen EmpiresClaimed as a 'new direction' for their musical style, there have been mixed reactions to this album. You can certainly notice the increased electronic and folk (reminiscent of Lightbody's work with Tired Pony) elements in the songs, but I still think this album includes all of the traits that make Snow Patrol a great band, and like the new sound. A couple of the songs on the album are truly haunting, such as The Garden Rules and New York

Foo Fighters - Wasting LightA stonking album by one of my favourite bands, with some songs that relate nicely to their heavier early stuff. I really wish I'd been able to see them perform this live this year. My favourite tracks are Walk and Arlandria

Hugh Laurie - Let Them TalkAdmittedly not the best blues album or artist; but it's very listenable to. He's let down by not being from Blues country, but if you're in the mood for some mainstream-ish jazz and blues, you could do a lot worse; and I have a ridiculous man-crush on Hugh, so would probably buy a recording of him reading the telephone book.

There are other tracks that I have heard on the radio/TV and loved (such as Florence & the Machine, Emili Sandé, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds) but not having listened to the albums I can't really include them here.

Having read the previous contributions, I have been reminded that I really need to take a look at the new stuff by Death Cab, The Black Keys and Paramore.

As usual, I have very little to actually add to this mostly-annual thread. However, I did very much enjoy:

The Whole Love by WilcoNot my favorite Wilco album, but I certainly enjoyed it. Unlike their last album, I felt that this one had unity to it; the songs feel like they belong together. "I Might" is a fantastic track, and both "Whole Love" and "Dawned On Me" are great tunes with elements that remind me of previous albums while still showing that they belong on this one. "Black Moon" is a slightly haunting song that really seems to take you out into a prairie night, and "One Sunday Morning" really shines as a relaxing, warm, rural song. All in all, really nice stuff.

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Currently Playing : Deus ExMost Recently Beat : To the MoonFavorite Game : Final Fantasy X

I've been putting off writing this entry for as long as possible, because I just had no real way of knowing which albums really struck me this year apart from two or three obvious choices. I've spent a week or so just re-listening to everything I've acquired over the span of 2011, and finally, here are my selections.

We'll start with the obvious and the previously mentioned:

Childish Gambino - Camp

I know it's par for the course for mainstream rap to be huge production endeavors, and while Donald still gets that feel on the album, the fact that it's still done with a very low-fi process makes a lot of the background music and beats stand apart. Even if you removed his vocal tracks from many of the songs on this album, you'd still have stupid catchy tunes to enjoy, which is something I feel a lot of artists don't go for. That said, lyrically, while the themes are mainly much more serious than his older recordings, he's still all over the place and it's brilliant. Love this album.Just...just take it in the ear. All The Shine, Sunrise, Kids (Keep Up)

Lights - SiberiaI can't imagine there'll be a day where I won't love the sound of her voice. After the Listening, I wasn't sure where her music would go. Well, it turns out that while Siberia is more of the same, it has that much more polish. I feel like while the individual tracks are not as uniquely catchy as some of her Listening tracks (Second Go and Ice come to mind) this album works more as a whole. I was a bit apprehensive about some of the dubstep-esque heavy bass oscillation that features across the album and the more somber mood the album as a whole seems to take, but overall this album is a definite winner. Also, I'm terribly, hopelessly and utterly in love with her, so there's that. Just...just take it in the ear. Where the Fence is Low, Banner, Everybody Breaks a Glass

Lykke Li -Wounded RhymesFunny story. The first track I ever heard of Lykke Li was actually a cover she did live of Rick Ross' 'Hustlin'" (Found here) Suffice it to say I adored her on the spot. When it comes this album, I can't say anything more than what the Josh-man already wrote, but I will say that if you haven't listened to Lykke Li at all, this is the album I'd suggest you start with.Just...just take it in the ear. Get Some, Rich Kid Blues, Youth Knows No Pain

Foster the People - TorchesI think many people might've heard this band recently and not realize who it is. This is their first major release and what an album at that! I've always been a sucker for indie-pop and I haven't enjoyed a band doing it this much since Phoenix put out Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix back in '09. There's something else here, in that many of the tracks offer this catchy, up-beat sound and then contrast it with dark themes. For example, their song Pumped Up Kicks is about a boy shooting out his high-school. You'd never even notice unless you stopped and really listened. It's a bit macabre but I love that sort of thing. Really, you should check these guys out if you're at all into catchy pop.Just...just take it in the ear. Pumped Up Kicks, Color on the Walls (Don't Stop), Houdini

St. Vincent - Strange MercyThis album took me by surprise. It's weird and strange, filled with moments of empty sound and strange effects, grand orchestral moments and synth-heavy pop hooks. It's a far cry from Annie & Co's first album, and absolutely night and day from her work with Sufjan Stevens. Much more in-line with the band she was just recently touring with (The Arcade Fire). I think that erratic quality is what really made me enjoy this album. Who else can say they put an Organ through a wall of distorted guitar amps and played it as if it were underwater?Just...just take it in the ear. Surgeon, Northern Lights, Year of the Tiger

I Am the Avalanche - Avalanche UnitedIt really is getting hard to find a good punk band these days. Either they just become unremarkable in their pursuit to fit in with the scene, or they go the political route and come off too strong, preachy and again, un-enjoyable. These guys remind me of Rancid, if they ditched the ska aspect of their sound and Lars did more singing. That, in and of itself, is a compliment. Still, their sound is unique enough to set them apart. In fact, the album is full of songs you can't help but want to sing along to. I didn't really appreciate their music until I caught them perform recently. They reminded me of how much fun a small, intimate show can be, especially when the whole crowd is into it.Just...just take it in the ear. I'll Be Around, Brooklyn Dodgers, Casey's Song

Taking Back Sunday- Self-TitledLet me preface this by saying I've been a fan of this band through a lot. Constant line-up changes, years of not touring, refusal to play their better known songs at shows, the works. This band's Tell All Your Friends album was the anthem of my last few high school years. So, you can imagine when they announced that the entire original line up was reuniting to tour and play exclusively songs from the Tell All Your Friends period last summer, well, I lost my proverbial sh**. Then they went into the studio and put together an album that they promised would be the ultimate 'band-going-back-to-our-roots' cd. Well, they delivered. Obviously they didn't just want to make the same album all over again, but what they kept was the spirit of that first album. Sappy emo-rock with broken heart lyrics and clever hooks, the sort that make you want to be 16 on a summer night again. Normally I try to comment more on the substance of the music itself, but in this instance, the album would otherwise be a very straight forward rock album unless you loved this band the way I do.Just...just take it in the ear. Faith (When I Let You Down), El Paso, This Is All Now

Dance Gavin Dance - Downtown Battle Mountain IIHere's another album I'd been eagerly anticipating. Jonny Craig's voice is what made this band, without him they just fell sort of flat. Having him back in the line-up produced an album that is exactly what I want a post-hardcore album to be. It's gritty and erratic but never without melody or harmony. It doesn't take itself too seriously. In fact, this band doesn't take much seriously at all. The result is music that is just really fun to listen to. I have to also take out a moment and point out that while Craig's incredible voice is something that usually steals the show, the guitar work on this album is actually unreal. Often, there are layers upon layers of guitar filler riffs and extra bits recorded to give choruses or particularly heavy riffs more 'umpf'. This album forgoes all of that and just relies on surreal use of harmonies. The screaming is toned down to a minimum, which makes this album a lot more approachable to people who would be otherwise interested but can't stomach that sort of thing.Just...just take it in the ear. The Robot With Human Hair Pt. 2 1/2, Heat Seeking Ghost of Sex, Thug City

Between the Buried and Me - The Parallax: Hypersleep DialoguesI feel like BTBAM has been on every music list I've ever made. Well, there's a reason for that. In the realm of prog. metal, these guys stand alone in my eyes. Each musician in their own right is essentially a virtuoso, and it never turns into the band showing off just how good they are exaggeratedly. Granted, this album is a bit of a stretch for some people because it's three tracks long, each clocking in around the 15 minute mark. Still, if you can get past that, you're in for a real treat with this one. As always, their albums tend to have no gap between tracks and are mixed so that the songs bleed into each other, encouraging you to experience the album as a whole rather than the single-by-single experience we get from most mainstream groups. Honestly, I cannot praise this band enough, so I won't try to. If you're into metal, especially the progressive sort, you owe it to yourself to have this album in your library.Just...just take it in the ear. The Specular Reflection

Defeater - Empty Days & Sleepless NightsThis is absolutely, hands down, the hardcore album of the year. It's raw without losing anything in terms of quality, it's energetic, and it forgoes the traditional hardcore theme of constant, heavy breakdowns. Sure, they're used, but I think there's maybe one on the whole album and even then, it's done in a way that doesn't even feel like a true HxC breakdown. Honestly, the album is a lot less heavy than the band's previous release and considerably less so than the majority of the genre. Except that it makes it that much more enjoyable because it isn't heavy for the sake of being heavy, and instead some really good musicianship shines through. Vocally, it's a lot of screaming and shrieking and spoken-work, but even that is stripped down here. We're left with a solid, bare-bones hardcore album. It also has racked up more listens in my iTunes library than almost the rest of this year's mentions combined, for what that's worth.Just...just take it in the ear. Warm Blood Rush, White Knuckles, I Don't Mind.

Honorable Mentions:

Death Cab For Cutie - Codes and KeysFour Year Strong - In Some Way, Shape or FormNew Found Glory - RadiosurgeryThrice - Minor/Major

Disappointments of 2011

[Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Don't Say We Didn't Warn YouThis album just really fell flat for me. It sounded too much like the one before it to stand apart, and yet it wasn't as catchy as the last, so I couldn't just ignore it and enjoy more of the same. All in all, I was expecting another monster party album and got an album I'll probably skip over or not notice if it's even playing.

Radiohead - The King of LimbsFeist - MetalsBjork - Biophilia

Doing these together because they all suffer from the same problem, which Josh already touched upon. They're all follow ups to outstanding albums and while none of them are really bad per se, none of them manage to live up to my expectations coming off Volta, In Rainbows or The Reminder. Maybe that's harsh of me, and I really did try to appreciate these albums as they were, on their own. Unfortunately, the magic just wasn't there. Especially the case with Radiohead. I mean, really. King of Limbs was just so...whatever. It was like Yorke just off the whole way through. Here's hoping the next releases from these guys make up for it.

Unfortunately I only listened to one entire album this year. Mostly I tend to listen to single songs here and there instead of whole albums.

Atmosphere - The Family Sign (aka the only album i took the time listen to start-to-finish this year)Along with last year's "To All My Friends, Blood Makes the Blade Holy", Atmosphere has completed its metamorphosis from hip-hop duo to full-on hip-hop band a la The Roots. Along with their new sound comes a new, more "mature" set of lyrics from Slug, the group's MC. He's moved away from simply bragging about being a talented rapper and how awesome his hometown. Nowadays what you'll hear are musical stories about people that you might know. If not that, then the lyrics shift to introspective reminiscence and directly thanking fans for sticking with them for their 14 years. It started with Lemons and continues now. While i might prefer their old style, this is far from bad. Sample Song(s): She's Enough, Something So, My Notes

I suppose I could list some specific songs that caught my attention this year.

B. Dolan - Film The PoliceI had slept of Strange Famous Records for a long time. That finally changed this year with this one track. This tribute to N.W.A's "F**k The Police" urges those living in the age of digital media distribution to pick up their camera and do what the title says. The recent explosion of police brutality the world over is simply sickening, and if you cant fight them, you can certainly shame them.

Right now, there isnt much that immediately sticks out as being worth really mentioning. I dont listen to much new music

Honestly, 2011 was rather a piss year for me but I seriously enjoyed Riot's Immortal Soul, which was released in various parts of the world from October 26 to November 22 of 2011. If you're a fan of technical, crushing speed metal mixed with powerful vocal falsettos then this is the album to get. The album was recorded by the very same lineup that released the underground classic Thundersteel (1988).

Mark Reale is one hell of an American metal guitarist; he deserves a lot of respect for continuing to remain consistent with his band's material throughout its course.

Honestly, 2011 was rather a piss year for me but I seriously enjoyed Riot's Immortal Soul, which was released in various parts of the world from October 26 to November 22 of 2011. If you're a fan of technical, crushing speed metal mixed with powerful vocal falsettos then this is the album to get. The album was recorded by the very same lineup that released the underground classic Thundersteel (1988).

Mark Reale is one hell of an American metal guitarist; he deserves a lot of respect for continuing to remain consistent with his band's material throughout its course.

Honestly, 2011 was rather a piss year for me but I seriously enjoyed Riot's Immortal Soul, which was released in various parts of the world from October 26 to November 22 of 2011. If you're a fan of technical, crushing speed metal mixed with powerful vocal falsettos then this is the album to get. The album was recorded by the very same lineup that released the underground classic Thundersteel (1988).

Mark Reale is one hell of an American metal guitarist; he deserves a lot of respect for continuing to remain consistent with his band's material throughout its course.

This album should appeal heavily to fans of modern-day Iced Earth (who also released the excellent Dystopia in the same year) and Iron Maiden. Not for fans of awful Hot Topic music, that's for sure.

You know they sell Iced Earth and Iron Maiden t-shirts at hot-topic too, right? Just throwing it out there.

Of course I already knew. Good that you brought that up, actually. I used to see scene/emo kids wearing Iron Maiden and Metallica shirts back in high school. I was really making a reference to the current screamo/deathcore bands they now carry there.

I've had some time to think about it, and sadly I don't have much to say about 2011. There are a lot of great songs others have mentioned, but sadly there are very few that I have stuck on reply (not putting anyone down on their tastes) anyway these are my top four.

No. 4: I Want You Gone by Jonathan Coulton (the portal 2 ending) this one might be cheating, but I don't care, it kicks ass. Sounds kind of like vocaloid only it's y'know GOOD. It's the kind of thing I like to refer to as Neato Torpedo~

No. 3: Your Love by Marie Digby. I'm a fanboy and it came out this year, but more than that, this song is sweet and awesome. Sure it's not very original and is reminiscent of jason mraz, but I can't enough of it.

No. 2: Deer in the Headlights - Owl City. The man gets a bad rep. Everyone I know and I mean EVERYONE finds this guy lame, and they're right lol, but music work is fun and addictive. The lyrics on this one are actually kind of creepy, but the music is great and may be his song to date.

No. 1: Pain by Syn savvy. I'm a huge fan of rap and wasn't impressed by what this past year had for mainstream artists. But then I found this guy on youtube and wow. Fast paced with lyrics that flow smoothly and beautiful sampling. It's kind of a sad song if you think about it, but that's what I like ;P Freaking awesome.

This post has been edited by No-Name on 24th January 2012 09:07

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"You know that feeling you get when you're on a merry go 'round, and you want to jump off to make the spinning stop, but you know it'll suck when you land? I feel like that all the time"- Keno

I don't have much to add, as I'm not a huge musical connoisseur. I love music, but I just don't know a lot of it!

All I could recommend for you guys a band from my hometown, Eisley's The Valley. I love this album-- it's way different from their original stuff, less imagination, more real-life/emotional, but it's fantastic, even if a little on the sad side. I've shown you guys this band in chat enough, so I'll shut up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3rg45y7h3YThem performing "Better Love." Linked in chat a while back ago too, because I love it

I also feel I don't know much about new music, since my ear is tuned to very specific corners on that front. For instance, I knew about Noel, Radiohead, and a few others, but I never really got around to listening to their albums. I would like to echo a sentiment or two I read up there:

1) It does indeed suck when an artist has nowhere to go artistically but down. I found I had the same problem twice in a row with the Flaming Lips post Yoshimi. Arguably, they never really reached the zenith of brilliance quite like on The Soft Bulletin.

2) Foster the People. This band snuck up on me, got stuck in my head, and then somehow sneaked its way onto my Talking Heads Pandora station. I second pretty much everything Dragon_Fire posted before.

Personally, I'm still waiting to hear from David Byrne and Phish more than anybody. The former was last spotted working with Fat Boy Slim on a concept album about Imelda Marcos (JFGI, I had to). The latter are still spamming unwashed masses of nitrous huffing college kids with the same stuff since 2009, save for a new cover every now and then. Then again, what's wrong with that? I've never had a bad time at a Phish show

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If you've been mod-o-fied,It's an illusion, and you're in-between.Don't you be tarot-fied,It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean? ~Frank Zappa